Sustainability has been a key theme in the fashion industry over the last 12 months but hosting the first ever Drapers Sustainable Fashion event last week highlighted how widespread the ambition is for fashion businesses to move towards a greener future.

Entries are now open for the Drapers Digital Awards - recognising the best of the best in ecommerce across the fashion industry in the UK and Ireland.

Sports Direct Group’s head of elevation, Mike Murray, and Flannels’ head of brand, Carl Tallents, exclusively unveil their UK and international expansion plans for Flannels and explain why Sports Direct is betting big on the high street.

Drapers Footwear Awards 19 will recognise and celebrate the footwear's very best from across the UK and Ireland.

We have 18 exciting categories up for contest, including International Footwear Business of the Year and Best Sustainable Initiative of the Year.

Sports Direct Group’s head of elevation, Mike Murray, and Flannels’ head of brand, Carl Tallents, exclusively unveil their UK and international expansion plans for Flannels and explain why Sports Direct is betting big on the high street.

Boden to launch shoppable digital catalogue

Boden will launch a shoppable online clothing catalogue this summer as it seeks to ramp up its ecommerce offering while simultaneously preparing for a bricks and mortar push.

Founder Johnnie Boden told Drapers the new digital catalogue is part of Boden’s multichannel strategy and will go live in July, existing alongside the traditional paper catalogues.

He said: “The digital catalogue is a new way of shopping, focusing entirely on the clothes and removing clutter. It provides a native app type experience in a web browser with slick transitions and simple interactions that recreates the Boden catalogue experience that people love, but enables them to buy straight from the page.

“Our customers want to be inspired and to shop in a way that suits their busy lifestyles better. Our new online version of the paper catalogue fits in with that trend. It works as well on a tablet or mobile device as it does on your desktop. It’s the modern way to browse Boden by category, discover outfit inspiration and buy or wish list your favourite finds.

“Customer reaction has been incredibly positive during the test phase. Seventy per cent of customers said that they are very likely to shop Boden via the digital catalogue.”

Boden is also preparing to rollout a bricks and mortar retail format from 2016.

The retailer currently has one store at Hangar Lane in London, which was opened in 2004.

Boden has since declined to provide details on the number of stores to be sought or any priority locations, but added: “As part of our multichannel strategy, we are committed to developing a retail arm to support the direct business. We are in early stages of planning but we plan to be live in some shape or form in 2016.

“We are very committed to becoming a modern, multichannel brand. We see an opportunity for physical and digital retail to work brilliantly together, and that is our goal in the coming years.

“Despite this, we still see ourselves as a predominantly direct retailer in the future.”

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